


Time After Time

by the_huffster



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-28 07:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12601040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_huffster/pseuds/the_huffster
Summary: Little snippets through Seasons 1-7 revolving around Buffy and Giles hugging/touching in some form





	1. Seasons 1-3

Prophecy Girl

Giles had been surprised when Willow, Xander and Buffy had requested a movie night at his apartment as they made their way out of the Library, and a little more surprised when Angel and Jenny hadn’t been invited- Xander stating that it was strictly a Scooby only movie night.

“But, Xander…” Willow had started.

“We’re the original Scoobies, Will. Dead Boy and Ms. Calendar aren’t, no offense.”

So they had said goodnight to Angel and Jenny, and now Giles found himself having to entertain the three teenagers. He was currently in the kitchen getting drinks and snacks put together for the four of them. He couldn’t help by smile as he watched the three of them joke around and laugh. It was hard to believe that a little over an hour ago he had thought that he wouldn’t see that particular scene again. His gaze dropped to the counter as thoughts of his Slayer’s death consumed his brain.

“Hey,” his head snapped up to see Buffy walk into the kitchen. “You were taking a long time, so I thought I’d come and help you.”

“Thank you, but I’ve got it covered.” He gave her a small smile, hoping it covered up the morbid expression that had fallen over his face a few seconds ago.

“Alright, if you say so.” She smiled back as she turned to leave.

He was just about to grab the bowl of popcorn when he felt something knock into him, a pair of arms wrapping around him. Giles managed to turn around and saw that it was his Slayer who was clinging to him.

“Buffy?” he asked, not entirely sure what he should be doing.

“Sorry, Giles.” She blushed as she leaned back to look at him. “I just wanted to say thanks,”

“For what?”

“You were gonna take my place,” she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“As I recall, you put an end to that idea fairly quickly.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, sorry about that too.” She winced as her eyes darted to the bruise on his jaw. “It was a stupid idea though, Giles. Brave, but stupid.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Buffy.” He pointed out even as he attempted to return the hug.

“I didn’t see anyone else offering to die for me,” they shard a quick laugh before Xander interrupted them.

“Are you guys just gonna stand there and talk all night, or are you gonna watch movies with us?” he yelled, him and Willow twisting around to look at them from the living room. “’Cause if you’re just gonna stand there all night, I’ll just get the snacks.”

Buffy shook her head as she grabbed the bowl of popcorn and two of the sodas before heading back into the living room, sitting next to Willow and putting the popcorn on Xander’s chest as he laid on the floor. The Watcher just smiled as he grabbed the remaining drinks and bowl of Cheetos, sitting on the other side of Willow. As soon as they started the first movie, Xander was already making comments about the movie.

Giles just knew it was going to be an interesting night.

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Reptile Boy

“How mad are you that I lied to come here?” Buffy tentatively asked as Giles slowly led her up the stone stairs.

“I’m not as mad as I think I should be,” he stated, glancing at her when she stopped halfway up the stairs. “I’m just glad that you’re safe, Buffy.”

“Lucky for me you guys figured out that something fishy was up,” she gave him a bright smile and he just chuckled.

“Let’s just be grateful that feeding you to a demon was all they wanted to do to you and Cordelia.” Giles pointed out before a worried expression came over him. “That is all they did, right? They didn’t um…they weren’t trying to…”

“No, they just wanted to make us demon chow. You can breathe, Giles.” She giggled at the blush that started to spread on her Watcher’s face.

“We should go. The other are waiting for us,” he began to lead her up the stairs again, stopping in surprise this time when the Slayer maneuvered her arm to wrap around his waist.

His body tensed up when she hugged him, but slowly relaxed enough for him to return the embrace.

“And what’s this for?” he asked with a hunt of amusement in his voice.

“Because I really am sorry, Giles.” She tilted her head up to look at him, hugging him for a few seconds longer before pulling away.

Giving him one last smile, Buffy started up the stairs again as Giles just stood there. It was very rare for him and Buffy to hug, and when they did he was always left in a state of mild surprise.

“Giles, you coming?” Willow’s voice rang down, causing him to shake his head and head up the stairs after his Slayer.

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Dark Age

As soon as they had reached the table in the middle of the Library, Buffy launched herself at her Watcher. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight, until he made a soft sound of pain. She let go and gave him a sheepish smile as he gingerly rubbed his left side.

“What was the hug for?” he asked.

“Because you looked like you really needed one.” She said matter-of-factly as she carefully gave him another hug.

“I’ll be alright, Buffy.” Giles muttered as he hugged her back.

“It’s just crap that she broke up with you over this,” The Slayer pointed out as she looked up at him, frowning when he opened his mouth to protest. “She can handle everything the Hellmouth throws our way but she can’t handle something that’s related to you? It’s crap, and you know it.”

Giles was quite for a moment as he thought over her words. Buffy was just about to say that it was okay for him to admit that she was right when he finally spoke.

“Jenny was hurt because of me, Buffy. And it wasn’t indirectly, it was directly.” He explained pulling away from her and leaning against the table. “She was hurt for what I did in the past. She has every right to be angry with me,”

“Well, then clearly she isn’t as worth it as you thought.” Giving him a look when he went to interrupt her, she continued. “I know you really have a thing for her, Giles, but if she can’t get over your past and see what a great guy you are then she isn’t worth it.”

They were silent for a while, Buffy chewing on her bottom lip as she began to worry that maybe she had said the wrong thing. She began to apologize when the Watcher looked up and gave a faint smile, understanding in his eyes. She gave him a small smile in return, knowing that he appreciated the fact that she was just trying to cheer him up.

“Don’t you have something to do, Buffy?”

And just like that, he was in Watcher-mode. The Slayer rolled her eyes and made her to his office, her change of clothes bundled up in her hand. Just as she was about to enter his office, Giles’ voice stopped her in tracks.

“Yeah?” she asked as she turned around.

“Thank you,”

They shared a quick smile before the blonde disappeared into the office.

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Dead Man’s Party

It had been an hour since the Scoobies had left, but Buffy had opted to stay behind to spend some one-on-one time with her Watcher. Even though he would have disagreed, she felt like she owned him for taking off over the summer. She had explained to him why she had left and what she did in L.A., and Giles had just listened to what she had to say- never making a snide comment or any sort of judgment.

“How come you aren’t mad at me?” she suddenly asked, turning to face him. “The guys are mad me, even if they won’t say it. I know they’re mad at me just by looking at them. But with you, I can’t tell.”

“I’m not mad at you, Buffy.” He assured her.

“Which brings us back to my question, how come?”

Giles sighed as he leaned back against the couch, taking off his glasses before placing them on the coffee table. He leaned forward as he collected his thoughts, which worried Buffy.

“I was never mad at you,” he began, his gaze locked on the carpet.

“Just disappointed, right?”

“You didn’t disappoint me, Buffy. If anything, I was concerned about you.” He looked at her, a sad smile on his face. “It isn’t easy losing someone you love in such a permanent fashion. And to add on top of that being expelled from school and wanted for a murder you didn’t commit…”

“Worried you.” She sighed when he paused, smiling slightly when he nodded his agreement. “Xander said that you were looking for me all summer,”

“I did,”

“Was it to bring me back?”

“No. It was to make sure you were okay,”

A comfortable silence fell over the two as the Slayer smiled at what her Watcher had told her. After a few moments, they talked for a few more minutes about this and that before Buffy made a comment about getting home.

“Do you want me to drive you home?” Giles asked as he walked Buffy to the front door.

“Nah, I might do a sweep through a few cemeteries before I actually head home.” She answered as she opened the door, grinning at him. “But thanks, Giles.”

Just before she stepped outside, Giles pulled her to him a tight hug. It took a few seconds for Buffy to realize what was going on before she returned the hug.

“I’m glad you’re back, Buffy.” He whispered before he pulled back, giving her a shy smile at his unusual display of emotion.

“You must’ve been really worried about me then,” she giggled before giving him another quick hug. “I’m glad I’m back too,”

They shard a quick smile before Buffy left his apartment, her smile quickly fading at the idea of doing a quick patrol. When he heard her complaint about patrol, Giles just shook his head and laughed.

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The Prom

By the time the prom was over, all the ice cream shops had closed for the night. So instead, Giles had swung by a small grocery store and bought a few cartons of Buffy’s favorite flavor. Which was why he found himself eating ice cream on his couch with his Slayer. He had expected her to spend time with Angel that night, but the vampire had only stayed for the last dance before leaving.

“He might as well have not shown up at all,” Buffy mumbled before shoving a spoonful of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream into her mouth.

“You don’t mean that, Buffy.” Giles sighed, scooping some of the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream into his mouth.

“The hell I don’t,” she grumbled as she stole of spoonful of his ice cream, giggling at he mock glare.

“So you’re telling me you would have rather sat around and missed the last dance?”

“Of course not, I would have danced if he hadn’t shown up.”

At his raised eyebrow, Buffy just smiled and put her bowl on the coffee table. Giles shook his head when the Slayer made her way over to his records, looking through them before picking one out and setting up the record player. Before she started it, she turned around to face him and grinned at the suspicious expression on his face.

“You were gonna ask me to dance, right?”

“Well I…um, it wasn’t…uh…” he began to move his spoon through some of the melted ice cream, his eyes focused on the bowl.

“Giles, do you wanna dance with me?” she cut him off, smiling at the shock on his face. “I’m really glad that I got to dance with Angel, but I don’t want my last dance to be angst-filled. So…will you dance with me?”

He had every intention of declining, but he had never been able to say no to her when she used the pout she reserved only for him. Sighing, he got to his feet and carefully moved the coffee table out of the way. Just as Buffy got the song to play, Giles had made a comment about how lucky they were that neither one had changed out of their formal wear.

“See? It was a sign,” she laughed as she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand.

Giles just rolled his eyes as he placed his free hand carefully on her hip, smiling as he recognized the song.

“Why did you pick this one?” he asked her.

“It’s one of your favorites,” her tone suggested it should have been obvious why she chose the song. “You’re usually humming it or singing to yourself, that’s how I knew.”

Giles just smiled and pulled her closer, softly singing along with the song. They didn’t speak until the song had ended, and even then Buffy didn’t leave his arms.

“Best prom ever,” she whispered as she hugged him closer.


	2. Seasons 4-7

A New Man

Buffy had ended up walking with Giles back to his apartment instead of spending the rest of the night with Riley. Riley hadn’t exactly liked their plans being ruined, but he understood- or at least that’s what he told Buffy. She honestly didn’t care if he understood or not, she just knew that she needed to be around Giles after what had happened.

“Giles, I…” she was getting ready to apologize for leaving him out of the loop.

“Buffy, I really don’t want to talk about that right now.” He cut her off, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I just want to get home, get rid of this bloody shirt and forget today ever happened.”

“Okay,” she muttered before looking at the sidewalk as they walked to his apartment.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the two as they continued their walk, neither one looking at each other or speaking. The silence made their journey seem like hours before they reached his front door, Giles just turning around to look at her.

“We’ll talk about this, Buffy.” He promised when he saw her expression, a part of him wanting to tell her that everything was going to be fine and that he forgave her.

Without warning, the Slayer slammed into him as her arms went around his waist. He groaned in pain when her head hit the area the letter opener had been embedded a little under an hour ago. Buffy mumbled an apology as she hugged him tighter, smiling when she felt him hug her back.

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Giles.” His chest muffled her voice but he was still able to hear the tears in her voice. “When I came by this morning and saw your apartment, I thought that you were…”

She trailed off, deciding that she didn’t even want to go down that road again. He seemed to understand because he just held her closer. They stood like that for a few more minutes before she pulled back and gave him a small smile, swiping at a few stray tears that had fallen.

“Come by sometime tomorrow,” Giles said as rubbed at the small puncture wound, chuckling at the apologetic look on his Slayer’s face.

“And we’ll talk then, right?” her eyes were trained on his hand as he gingerly rubbed his chest. “If I had stabbed you a little over to the left, it wouldn’t have mattered if that was real silver or not.”

“I’m fine, Buffy. Or I will be,” he assured her.

“I know, it’s just that…” she took a deep breath and shook her head. “Nevermind, I’m just being emotional-gal right now. I’ll swing by some time tomorrow afternoon,”

“I’ll be here,”

She gave him another hug before leaning up and placing a quick kiss on his cheek. After saying a quick goodnight, Buffy took off towards her dorm as Giles just stood in front of his door in mild shock.

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Buffy vs. Dracula

“What the hell, Giles?” Buffy shouted as she stormed into his apartment, sending a glare his way.

“Yes, Buffy, you can come in. I’m doing fine, and yourself?” he muttered as he continued on his way into the kitchen.

“Don’t get snarky with me, mister!” she followed him into the kitchen, crossing her arms as she leaned against one of the counters. “You’re leaving.”

“I wasn’t aware that I was,” he immediately started mentally cursing Willow as he debated on making tea or pouring himself a much needed drink if they were going to be having this conversation.

“Willow said you were going to leave,” she explained, her voice softer but just as angry as when she walked in. “So again I ask, what the hell?”

Giles sighed as he turned around to look at his Slayer, not knowing what to say or how to say it. Apparently he had waited too long to answer because Buffy continued.

“Is that what you were gonna tell me yesterday?”

“Yes,” he whispered, looking at the kitchen tile.

“Why?”

“Because you don’t need me, Buffy. Not anymore,”

Silence fell over them as each one was lost in their own thoughts. The minutes stretched between them until Buffy’s barely audible whisper broke the silence.

“I’m sorry?” Giles lifted his head to look at her.

“Are you still gonna leave me?” she repeated, looking at him with tear filled eyes.

There was no hesitation as Giles walked over to Buffy and pulled her into his arms, holding her closer to him when she wrapped her arms around him. He was faintly aware that she was crying when he felt a slight wet spot forming on his shirt. Heaving a sigh, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and moved to rest his cheek against her head.

“I’m not going anywhere, Buffy.” He whispered, holding her tighter to him.

She just nodded as she huddled closer to him, needing to reassure herself that he wasn’t leaving.

“If you ever think about leaving again, I’m gonna kick your ass. Understood?” she muttered, smiling as she felt his chuckle rumble in his chest.

“I will never leave you, Buffy.” He swore, placing another kiss in her hair.

“Good,”

Neither one made to leave the embrace.

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Once More, With Feeling

At the constant knocking on his hotel door, Giles was thankful that he hadn’t actually fallen asleep yet. He ran a hand through his mussed hair as he opened the door, surprised to see Buffy standing on the other side. Just as he opened his mouth to ask her what she wanted, the Slayer threw herself into his arms and covered his mouth with hers.

“Buffy…” he gasped as he pulled back, confusion written across his face at the needy and desperate expression on her face.

“Giles, please.” She whispered before kissing him again, forcing her tongue into his mouth.

Against his better judgment, Giles allowed himself to relish the kiss for a few moments before gently pushing her away from him. There was a brief flash of hurt that crossed her face before that needy expression took over.

“Buffy, you need to tell me…” he tried to get an understanding of what was going on, but was interrupted yet again.

“I don’t wanna talk, Giles.” She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You need to think about what you’re doing,” he tried again as he willed his body not to respond to the way her nails were scratching the back of his neck, or the way she was moving against him.

“For once, don’t think about anything.” She whispered as she placed a line of kisses up his neck and up to his ear. “Just act. Please, Giles.”

A soft groan escaped his lips as she nibbled on his ear lobe, giving it a gentle tug as she continued to move against his erection. He knew he was in a losing battle as soon as his hands went to her hips and pulled her closer to him. When he initiated the next kiss, he knew he would hate himself in the morning.

Giles wasn’t sure when they had moved to the bed, or when they had undressed, but at the sound of Buffy moaning his name as he entered her, he knew those details didn’t matter. He had never pictured their first time being whatever this was, but then again he never thought they would ever be doing this. He bit into her shoulder to stop himself from uttering any sort of words of love, that wasn’t why she had come to him. As her moans increased in volume, he knew she was close- which was fine with him because the way she was raking her nails down his back and the way her inner walls gripped his thrusting cock, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

Just as her nails dug into his shoulder blades, Buffy screamed her release and brought him with her. Despite the fact that his arms wanted to give out on him, Giles held himself up long enough to push himself to her side. They stared at the ceiling as they fought to catch their breath, neither one knowing what to say. When he felt the bed shift, Giles was sure that his Slayer was getting up to leave but was surprised when she turned on to her side and reached behind her to pull on his arm enough to give him a hint. Swallowing hard, he turned on to his side and pulled her to him until her back was up against his chest.

There were no words uttered as they lay there, sleep eventually claiming Buffy while Giles stayed wide awake making a mental note to book the first available flight back to England.

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Touched

The knocking on his hotel door grew louder with every second, his mind going back to the last time that had happened. When he opened the door, he wasn’t surprised to see Buffy standing in the hallway. Nor was he surprised when she launched herself at him, her lips automatically finding his. His hands went straight to her shoulders and he pushed her off of him, giving her an apologetic look.

“Buffy, I can’t do that again.” He whispered as he dropped his hands and backed away from her.

“What do you mean?” she asked, taking a step towards him.

She stopped her advance when he continued to back away, a look she couldn’t quite identify in his green eyes.

“I can’t just have sex with you again,” he clarified, a part of him willing her to understand.

When she repeated her question, it occurred to him that this was Buffy he was dealing with and things were never allowed to be that simple with her. Heaving a sigh, Giles rubbed the back of his neck and shoved his right hand into the pockets of his sweats. They stood in silence for what seemed like a lifetime as he continued to look at his Slayer, trying his best to convey what he couldn’t say with a look.

“It’s sex, Giles. You didn’t have a problem with it last year,” she snapped, frustration building up inside her over his behavior. “Fine, if you aren’t gonna explain then I’ll just go back to Spike.”

“I can’t just have sex with you because…” he took a deep breath and willed himself to explain it to, he owed her that. “Because I love you, Buffy. I have for a while now,”

“You love me?” she asked, astonishment showing in her hazel eyes.

“Yes, since before you died.” He forced himself to maintain eye contact with her, preparing himself for the humiliation he knew was coming.

“Why didn’t you say anything last year?”

“You didn’t come to me for love. You came to me for sex,” he muttered, swallowing down the rising fear. “You wanted sex with no attachments,”

Silence fell over them again as Buffy processed his revelation. After a few minutes, she mumbled something about leaving but stopped when he wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

“Where are you going?” he asked her, not wanting her to go back to Spike.

“I don’t wanna be alone, Giles.” She whispered, both of them knowing where she was going.

Without saying anything, he led her to where the bed was and told her to stay there. He walked over to his suitcase and fished out one of his button down shirts, throwing it over to her. A question shone in her eyes, and caused him to smile slightly.

“Change into that, and we’ll go to sleep.” He answered as he climbed into the bed, looking away when she did as she was told.

“Why are you doing this, Giles?” she questioned as she climbed into the bed as well.

“I don’t want to be alone either,” was all he said as he pulled her to him, his arm curling around her waist as she rested her head on his chest. “Goodnight, Buffy.”

“I’m sorry I can’t say it back,” she muttered as she cuddled closer to him, smiling when he assured her it was all right. “Night,”

He kissed the top of her head and settled down, waiting for sleep to claim them.

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Chosen

He found her sitting by the pool, her feet dangling in the cool water. They had found a hotel just outside of L.A., and Giles had set to the task of making sure all of the survivors would be all right as Buffy disappeared from the crowd. That had been an hour ago, and now there was time for the two of them to talk.

“How are you?” he asked her as he sat next to her, taking off his shoes and socks.

“I’m fine. Seems my Slayer healing is in overdrive, wouldn’t be able to tell I was stabbed.” She answered as she watched him roll up his pants enough to let him put his feet in the water next to her.

“I didn’t mean that, Buffy.” He sighed, his eyes focused on the pool.

“I know,” she replied, her gaze looking up at the night sky. “I’m taking a few minutes to compose myself before going back in there.”

“You don’t have to deal with this on your own, you know.”

“But I do. I’m The Slayer, they’re all counting on me.” She muttered, moving her right leg in a small circle. “I don’t have time to be just Buffy,”

Rolling his eyes, Giles pushed himself up to his feet and began to take his shirt off. By the time he was working on his belt buckle, Buffy was just staring at him in shock.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“I’m going for a swim. And since I don’t have any swim shorts, my boxers will have to do.” He answered as he moved his clothes to one of the lounge chairs behind them, placing his glasses on top of his shirt.

The Slayer flinched as he jumped into the shallow end of the pool, giving her a grin as he made way over to her. He forced himself between her legs and looked up at her as a serious expression crossed his face.

“You are allowed to be just Buffy,” he told her, his hands resting on her thighs.

“I can’t, Giles. Everyone has someone to rely on, and I don’t. So I have to be The Slayer and just…deal with it.” She sighed, one of her hands running through his slightly wet hair.

“Do you remember when I said that I was in love you?” he asked her.

“Yeah, and then you went on to make me feel bad by being Mr. Wonderful and putting me before yourself.” She recalled, a slight frown forming. “As always.”

“I’m here for you, Buffy.” He said as one of his fingers traced indistinct patterns on top of her thigh. “Being in love with you means I won’t let you deal with this one your own,”

“I don’t understand how you can be in love with me when I’ve treated you like shit?” she wondered as she scooted back from the ledge, getting to her feet so she could strip down to her bra and panties.

“Because I just am,” was the only answer he could come up with, laughing when she splashed him as she jumped into the pool. “I can’t really explain it, Buffy.”

After that, they took a few minutes to relax and just swim around the pool. Occasionally, one of them would splash the other and start a half-hearted chase around the area. But it all lasted no more than a half hour before Buffy allowed Giles to capture her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

“I can’t say that I love you back,” she whispered as she looked into his eyes, smiling at the amount of love shining in his green irises. “I can’t say it because I’m not sure if I can handle being in love right now.”

“Buffy…” he tried to cut her off, stopping at the look in her eyes.

“But I feel something for you, Giles. And, if you want to, I want you to help me work towards saying those three words to you.” She continued, her fingers run through the hair near the nape of his neck. “I don’t know when that’ll happen, but…”

He pressed his lips to hers gently, smiling against her lips when she kissed him back. He pulled back and searched her eyes for any sign of doubt, grinning when he saw none.

“We have all the time in the world, love.” He assured her.

Sharing a smile with him, she leaned forward and kissed him again. As the kiss deepened, she was pretty sure it wouldn’t take her long to be able to tell Giles that she was in love with him as well.


End file.
